Pope John Paul I declared 'venerable'

Pope John Paul I, known as the smiling pope, is pictured at the Vatican in 1978. CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis recognized that Pope John Paul I, who
served only 33 days as pope, lived the Christian virtues in a heroic way.

The Vatican announced Pope Francis' decision Nov. 9. It marks the
first major step on the path to sainthood for the pope who died in 1978 at the
age of 65, shocking the world and a church that had just mourned the death of
Blessed Paul VI.

Pope Francis would have to recognize a miracle attributed to the
late pope's intercession in order for him to be beatified, the next step toward
sainthood. A second miracle would be needed for canonization.

Stefania Falasca, vice postulator of Pope John Paul's sainthood
cause, said one "presumed extraordinary healing" had already been
investigated by a diocese and a second possibility is being studied, but the
Vatican does not begin its investigations until a sainthood candidate is
declared venerable.

Although his was one of the shortest papacies in history, Pope
John Paul left a lasting impression on the church that fondly remembers him as
"the smiling pope."

"He smiled for only 33 days," read the front page of
the Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, while the Catholic Telegraph of the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati reported: "Saddened church seeking another Pope
John Paul."

The surprise of his death after just over a month in office
opened a floodgate of rumors and conspiracy theories, running the gamut from
murder to culpable neglect. The Vatican doctor insisted then, as the Vatican
continues to insist, that Pope John Paul died of a heart attack.

His papal motto, "Humilitas" ("Humility") not
only emphasized a Christian virtue but also reflected his down-to-earth
personality and humble beginnings.

"The Lord recommended it so much: Be humble. Even if you
have done great things, say: 'We are useless servants.' On the contrary, the
tendency in all of us is rather the opposite: to show off. Lowly, lowly: This
is the Christian virtue which concerns us," he said Sept. 6, 1978.

Born Albino Luciani in the small Italian mountain town of Canale
D'Agordo Oct. 17, 1912, the future pope and his two brothers and one sister
lived in poverty and sometimes went to bed hungry.

His father, a bricklayer by trade, would often travel to
Switzerland and Germany in search of work.

During a general audience Sept. 13, 1978, the pope told pilgrims
he was sickly as a child and his mother would take him "from one doctor to
another" and watch over him "whole nights." He also said he had
been hospitalized eight times and operated on four times throughout his life.

Despite his weak health and poverty, his father encouraged him to
enter the minor seminary. He did so, but would return to his hometown in the
summers and often was seen working in the fields in his black cassock.

He was ordained a priest in 1935 and was appointed bishop of
Vittorio Veneto in December 1958 by St. John XXIII. More than 10 years later,
he was named patriarch of Venice by Blessed Paul VI and was created a cardinal
in 1973.

During his time as patriarch of Venice, then-Cardinal Luciani was
known for his dedication to the poor and the disabled.

In February 1976, he called on all priests in his diocese to sell
gold and silver objects for the Don Orione Day Center for people with
disabilities. Leading by example, he started the fund drive by putting up for
auction a pectoral cross and gold chain — given to him by St. John XXIII — that
had once belonged to Pope Pius XII.

His contribution, he wrote, "is a small thing compared to
the use it will have. Perhaps it is worth something if it helps people
understand that the real treasures of the church are the poor."

After Blessed Paul VI's death, his name was hardly at the top of
anyone's list of potential popes, least of all his own.

When asked if he might be elected pope, he quoted a Venetian
proverb: "You don't make gnocchi out of this dough."

His surprise election, nevertheless, did not sway him from
continuing his humble manner of living, such as rejecting the use of the
traditional papal tiara and preferring to call his first Mass as pope the
"inauguration" of his papal ministry rather than a coronation.

His humility also was reflected in the 19 speeches and talks he
gave as pope, especially the four Wednesday general audience talks before his
untimely death.

"Let us try to improve the church by becoming better
ourselves," he said Sept. 13, 1978. "Each of us and the whole church
could recite the prayer I am accustomed to reciting: 'Lord, take me as I am,
with my defects, with my shortcomings, but make me become as you want me to
be.'"